Consensus from NON BIASED fans on Peters trade....

[sauce]

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The general consensus among NON BIASED NFL fans seems to be that the Bills slightly got the better of the deal

Take off the blinders Peters was not that great and is going to get paid like the top OT in the game when he is NOT

Take Oher at #11 like I have been saying and then BPA at #28 whether it be Pettigrew, Ayers, Maybin, Michael Johnson, English, Laurnit., Stinim, Freeman, Unger, Mack, etc

Well anyways here are the commets off of general NFL message boards...


"This is a very good move for both teams. I think both sides won. Peters is a top LT and the Bills got a great return for a player who wasn't going to be a Bill.

Gonna be fun watching Ware vs Peters. Tra Thomas did a good job against Ware. I hope Peters is worse. If he doesn't trim down, Ware will eat him up with his speed."


"I think this is great for both teams.

11. Aaron Maybin ???

28. Alex Mack

I am guessing that right about now."




This is from a Jets fan:

"It's the 28th overall pick(Eagles 2nd 1st rounder), a 2nd day pick this year and a late rounder next year. I think this is an absolute steal for the Bills."


This is from an Eagles fan

" Peters was an undrafted FA, trust me the bills get value here, and taking a LT at 11, makes great sense now, you upgrade you OT position for less money, and still grab a playmaker at 28....someone said robert ayers? that'd be lovely"


"This is a good deal for the Bills the 28th pick and a 4th round pick for a guy that gave up more sacks then Kwame Harris last year.

The guy wanted way more money then should be paid to a LG playing LT!"

[clumping platelets]

1,11 - OT Oher
1,28 - LB Simtim
2,42 - G Levitre
3,85 - TE Nelson

:nod:

[The Spaz]

1,11 - OT Oher
1,28 - LB Simtim
2,42 - G Levitre
3,85 - TE Nelson

:nod:

That's not bad but I would like a DE too.

[psubills62]

1,11 - OT Oher
1,28 - LB Simtim
2,42 - G Levitre
3,85 - TE Nelson

:nod:

I really think people need to keep an open mind to having to draft Andre Smith at #11 instead of Oher. There are a LOT of signs pointing to Oher not being available at 11. That or picking someone at 11, then getting Beatty/Britton at 28.

[The King]

According to Sirius.... we got robbed.

[The Spaz]

If we pick Smith I will have no choice but to root for him. I have bashed him but I would hope he proves me wrong.

[sauce]

I really think people need to keep an open mind to having to draft Andre Smith at #11 instead of Oher. There are a LOT of signs pointing to Oher not being available at 11. That or picking someone at 11, then getting Beatty/Britton at 28.

I think Cincy is going to take Smith at #6

[Oldbillsfan]

The Bills were robbed, trade a proven player for what? Another Mike Williams? With this teams drafting history, most likely. Its absurd. The Bills are the KC Royals of the NFL...Horrible...

[clumping platelets]

According to Sirius.... we got robbed.


Sirius hates the Bills

[DRELOVESBills]

1,11 - OT Oher
1,28 - LB Simtim
2,42 - G Levitre
3,85 - TE Nelson

:nod:

i like this too good job buddy
but don't forget levitre will be there in round 3 too

[kid mickey]

Check my draft in the sig

[clumping platelets]

The Bills were robbed, trade a proven player for what? Another Mike Williams? With this teams drafting history, most likely. Its absurd. The Bills are the KC Royals of the NFL...Horrible...


Peters gave up the most sacks last season as a LT and he missed 3 games. He also whiffed on the block that led to the sacking of JP in the Jets game........proven players do not make those types of mistakes

[psubills62]

I think Cincy is going to take Smith at #6

Smith may even be gone by that point too, I agree. I actually have all 4 top tackles gone by 11. So we may need to wait until 28, or try to trade down.

[billsfanone]

This is all on paper.

What it doesn't consider is where the Bills are today. They already have too many holes to fill. Now they added on giant one more. The Bills are in no position to bargain. The Bills have zero balls.

[patmoran2006]

According to Sirius.... we got robbed.
I don’t see how a person with an ounce of logic doesn’t see that.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>
<o:p> </o:p>
We were expecting at minimum (most anyway) the 21<SUP>st</SUP> pick and a third rounder.<o:p></o:p>
We got 28 and a 4<SUP>th</SUP>.<o:p></o:p>
<o:p> </o:p>
For one of the best 5 LT’s in the game.<o:p></o:p>
<o:p> </o:p>
Got no problem with trading Peters, understand it had to happen. But the compensation we got back is crap. Philly is feeling good right now especially considering they didn’t even have to give up #21.<o:p></o:p>

[kernowboy]

No11: Everette Brown DE
No21-28: William Beatty LT (use Phillys No121 to move up if necessary)
No42: Jarron Gilbert LE/DT
No75: Marcus Freeman WLB/SLB
No110: Karl Urbik G
No147: Dan Gronkowski TE

[Mudflap1]

I'm torn.

On one hand, I have thought Jason Peters is an overrated player for some time. Don't get me wrong, he's good, showed flashes of being great, but that's it. He held this team hostage last year, showed up the day before the season started, wasn't prepared, and played like crap last year until the end of the season when he started to play well. And the Bills did just fine without him to start to the season. Overall, the guy is a good player, but is definitely a selfish jerk with an over-inflated opinion of himself. The Bills supposedly offered him a pretty fair contract this offseason. It's not like they didn't put out some effort.

On the other hand, the Bills traded a good left tackle for worse picks than the general consensus expected. It was no secret that Philadelphia was the most logical trade partner. They have two first round picks, twelve picks overall, and the Bills managed to get the late 1st, a 4th, and a conditional next year? While the Bills got a good return on their investment in the sense that they developed an UDFA and got several picks for him, the market value for a supposedly high-caliber left tackle is probably more than the Bills got. Furthermore, it is just another notch in the belt for OBD for where they either 1) blow their draft picks; or 2) take the guys that they did develop homegrown, and get rid of them once they become good players because they don't pay them what they want, or the players don't want to play here any longer. Neither one is good.

Lastly, the Bills now need to completely revamp their offensive line. Great news! This team has been rebuilding for four years and is now revamping the offensive line. Looks like another 4-6 win season at best for 2009.

Overall, I think the Bills were stuck in a corner and had to do something. Either overpay Peters, and hope that he lives up to his contract, or trade him. I just think they traded him for too little. Not way too little, but a little too little.

[psubills62]

I'm torn.

On one hand, I have thought Jason Peters is an overrated player for some time. Don't get me wrong, he's good, showed flashes of being great, but that's it. He held this team hostage last year, showed up the day before the season started, wasn't prepared, and played like crap last year until the end of the season when he started to play well. And the Bills did just fine without him to start to the season. Overall, the guy is a good player, but is definitely a selfish jerk with an over-inflated opinion of himself. The Bills supposedly offered him a pretty fair contract this offseason. It's not like they didn't put out some effort.

On the other hand, the Bills traded a good left tackle for worse picks than the general consensus expected. It was no secret that Philadelphia was the most logical trade partner. They have two first round picks, twelve picks overall, and the Bills managed to get the late 1st, a 4th, and a conditional next year? While the Bills got a good return on their investment in the sense that they developed an UDFA and got several picks for him, the market value for a supposedly high-caliber left tackle is probably more than the Bills got. Furthermore, it is just another notch in the belt for OBD for where they either 1) blow their draft picks; or 2) take the guys that they did develop homegrown, and get rid of them once they become good players because they don't pay them what they want, or the players don't want to play here any longer. Neither one is good.

Lastly, the Bills now need to completely revamp their offensive line. Great news! This team has been rebuilding for four years and is now revamping the offensive line. Looks like another 4-6 win season at best for 2009.

Overall, I think the Bills were stuck in a corner and had to do something. Either overpay Peters, and hope that he lives up to his contract, or trade him. I just think they traded him for too little. Not way too little, but a little too little.

I've been afraid all along that the Bills couldn't get very good trade value for Peters. We weren't the only ones who saw the debacle last offseason and how poorly he played in 2008. Just because his peers and the coaches around the league voted him to the Pro Bowl doesn't mean they'd give up tons of picks (in a strong draft) to get him.

His poor play cost us better picks, imo, and didn't seem to hurt him too much. Now I'm hoping he signs an outrageous contract that handicaps any spending the Eagles can do, and that they generally have a mediocre to bad record for the next few seasons because of it.

[HHURRICANE]

<!-- / icon and title --><!-- message -->
The general consensus among NON BIASED NFL fans seems to be that the Bills slightly got the better of the deal

Take off the blinders Peters was not that great and is going to get paid like the top OT in the game when he is NOT

Take Oher at #11 like I have been saying and then BPA at #28 whether it be Pettigrew, Ayers, Maybin, Michael Johnson, English, Laurnit., Stinim, Freeman, Unger, Mack, etc

Well anyways here are the commets off of general NFL message boards...


"This is a very good move for both teams. I think both sides won. Peters is a top LT and the Bills got a great return for a player who wasn't going to be a Bill.

Gonna be fun watching Ware vs Peters. Tra Thomas did a good job against Ware. I hope Peters is worse. If he doesn't trim down, Ware will eat him up with his speed."


"I think this is great for both teams.

11. Aaron Maybin ???

28. Alex Mack

I am guessing that right about now."




This is from a Jets fan:

"It's the 28th overall pick(Eagles 2nd 1st rounder), a 2nd day pick this year and a late rounder next year. I think this is an absolute steal for the Bills."


This is from an Eagles fan

" Peters was an undrafted FA, trust me the bills get value here, and taking a LT at 11, makes great sense now, you upgrade you OT position for less money, and still grab a playmaker at 28....someone said robert ayers? that'd be lovely"


"This is a good deal for the Bills the 28th pick and a 4th round pick for a guy that gave up more sacks then Kwame Harris last year.

The guy wanted way more money then should be paid to a LG playing LT!"

Ross Tucker and Pat Kirwan on Sirrius just said we got hosed. I'll take their opinion over a bunch of fans.

[The Spaz]

Ross Tucker and Pat Kirwan on Sirrius just said we got hosed. I'll take their opinion over a bunch of fans.

Yeah just a bunch of fans like you.

[Jan Reimers]

What everyone needs to understand is that Peters was never going to be happy here, unless we broke the bank. We were not going to break the bank for a guy who performed like he did last year.

Perhaps we could have done a little better in the trade, but I think we did as well as we could.

[DrGraves]

I just feel disgusted. I mean I know that he had to go, and he isn't worth the money but this is how i see it:

1. The move makes another gaping whole which we have to fill
2. We lose the luxury of taking a DE at 11, or trying to find a TE or something we really need.
3. We laying the groundwork for Toronto's team. (i refuse to say that buffalo is rebuilding. i mean when are we not rebuidling? honestly. I hate the morons who run this ****y as organization)

[THATHURMANATOR]

<!-- / icon and title --><!-- message -->
The general consensus among NON BIASED NFL fans seems to be that the Bills slightly got the better of the deal

Take off the blinders Peters was not that great and is going to get paid like the top OT in the game when he is NOT

Take Oher at #11 like I have been saying and then BPA at #28 whether it be Pettigrew, Ayers, Maybin, Michael Johnson, English, Laurnit., Stinim, Freeman, Unger, Mack, etc

Well anyways here are the commets off of general NFL message boards...


"This is a very good move for both teams. I think both sides won. Peters is a top LT and the Bills got a great return for a player who wasn't going to be a Bill.

Gonna be fun watching Ware vs Peters. Tra Thomas did a good job against Ware. I hope Peters is worse. If he doesn't trim down, Ware will eat him up with his speed."


"I think this is great for both teams.

11. Aaron Maybin ???

28. Alex Mack

I am guessing that right about now."




This is from a Jets fan:

"It's the 28th overall pick(Eagles 2nd 1st rounder), a 2nd day pick this year and a late rounder next year. I think this is an absolute steal for the Bills."


This is from an Eagles fan

" Peters was an undrafted FA, trust me the bills get value here, and taking a LT at 11, makes great sense now, you upgrade you OT position for less money, and still grab a playmaker at 28....someone said robert ayers? that'd be lovely"


"This is a good deal for the Bills the 28th pick and a 4th round pick for a guy that gave up more sacks then Kwame Harris last year.

The guy wanted way more money then should be paid to a LG playing LT!"
Where is this consensus located? Do you have a link?

[Dr. Pepper]

Ross Tucker and Pat Kirwan on Sirrius just said we got hosed. I'll take their opinion over a bunch of fans.

i thought you were done with the Bills??

[Michael82]

According to Sirius.... we got robbed.
According to Sirius, Bryant Johnson should also be a current member of the Buffalo Bills. :::

[Michael82]

What everyone needs to understand is that Peters was never going to be happy here, unless we broke the bank. We were not going to break the bank for a guy who performed like he did last year.

Perhaps we could have done a little better in the trade, but I think we did as well as we could.
Exactly! Great post, Jan! :bf1:

[tatersalad]

Wow.... this is a good trade for both teams what do you all think of last yrs draft? I thought it was a decent draft, I think with Modrak actually running things we will make those picks count. I know Modrak has been here for awhile but i THINK HE HAS MORE SAY so I am thinking that until 3yrs we will not know

[GoonBoss]

Well, as a Dolphins fan I'm very biased, admittedly, but consensus opinion at Finheaven.com is that you guys got the better end of the deal....For what it's worth. Most of the posts read something like...."As much as I hate the Bills, and, hate to admit it....This helps them get better."

Just thought I'd chip in.

[Nighthawk]

According to Sirius.... we got robbed.

IMO, we did OK and could be a lot better after the draft. The important thing is that the Bills don't necessarily have to grab a LT at the #11 spot, they could get one in the 2nd round.

[psubills62]

Well, as a Dolphins fan I'm very biased, admittedly, but consensus opinion at Finheaven.com is that you guys got the better end of the deal....For what it's worth. Most of the posts read something like...."As much as I hate the Bills, and, hate to admit it....This helps them get better."

Just thought I'd chip in.

Just wondering, why do you think they feel that way? Is it because of the value in this draft, especially in the late first? Or maybe because they saw Peters as being that overrated?

I'd kind of like to hear opinions from those who aren't Bills fans.

[GoonBoss]

Just wondering, why do you think they feel that way? Is it because of the value in this draft, especially in the late first? Or maybe because they saw Peters as being that overrated?

I'd kind of like to hear opinions from those who aren't Bills fans.

It's mixed. Some think he's over rated. Some are of the opinion they wouldn't want a player who doesn't want to be with the team they like. I can't speak for the whole board as to exactly why, but, I'll keep peeking in at the thread to see quantifications of opinions. Also, there are more than a few that are of the opinions you simply don't ever trade away OLTs that have proven they can start in the NFL, on the other side of the coin.

Me personally I think Peters is an overrated turd with a ****ty work ethic and attitude. I think I'm able to take off my aqua glasses and look at players to give an unbiased assesment of them based on what I see and hear. I get myself lots of venom at Finheaven for daring to Suggest Ronnie Brown isn't elite, Pennington is NOT actually god and, Ginn has been a disappointment so, I think that qualifies me :)

I don't think the Bills could reasonably expect to get any more out of the trade than what they did. When you are trying to deal a player like Peters, other teams are automaticly going to know they have you over a barrel to an extent.

It boils down to; What bothers me more....Seeing the Bills with JP starting at OLT next year, or, the Bills with multiple first round picks? The answer is definitly the latter.

[GoonBoss]

From "ChambersWI", another one of our mods;


can't fault the Bills for doing this as Peters didn't want to be there, and they got a lot of picks. But if I'm a Bills fan I wait until after next year to grade this trade. The Bills have a history of reaching for players some work out (Donte Whitner, though he kind of leveled off) others did not (John McCargo/JP Losman).

I do feel kind of bad with how ESPN is making fun of the Bills though. I don't hate the Bills in the way I hate the Jets and Pats. I just hate the Bills because A)Berman always hypes them up and B)People always pick them to be a team on the rise when they only tease people with a couple late season runs to get to 7-9 or 8-8.

From RHoffman


As a Dolphins fan, this kills me but this a great trade for the Bills. Peters is WAY overrated.

[GoonBoss]

From 3rdandinches;



Sadly this may help the Bills long term. The guy showed his true colors by coming back from his holdout being in horrible shape. He took the next 4/5 games to get back to game speed and then sucked the rest of the year.

How does any team give him the highest paid contract for LT's when he does that. I don't have as big an issue with the holdout (even though he just signed a new contract a year or so earlier) as I do that he couldn't come back ready to go. He seems to care about that contract more then the football game itself. I really think Philly will regret this move long term and hopefully Buffalo screws up this draft to continue their struggles. I never seen a team throw so much money at an Oline and miss everywhere they spent it, sad.

[psubills62]

It's mixed. Some think he's over rated. Some are of the opinion they wouldn't want a player who doesn't want to be with the team they like. I can't speak for the whole board as to exactly why, but, I'll keep peeking in at the thread to see quantifications of opinions. Also, there are more than a few that are of the opinions you simply don't ever trade away OLTs that have proven they can start in the NFL, on the other side of the coin.

Me personally I think Peters is an overrated turd with a ****ty work ethic and attitude. I think I'm able to take off my aqua glasses and look at players to give an unbiased assesment of them based on what I see and hear. I get myself lots of venom at Finheaven for daring to Suggest Ronnie Brown isn't elite, Pennington is NOT actually god and, Ginn has been a disappointment so, I think that qualifies me :)

I don't think the Bills could reasonably expect to get any more out of the trade than what they did. When you are trying to deal a player like Peters, other teams are automaticly going to know they have you over a barrel to an extent.

It boils down to; What bothers me more....Seeing the Bills with JP starting at OLT next year, or, the Bills with multiple first round picks? The answer is definitly the latter.

Thanks for giving us the quotes. I was figuring that most people thought Peters was overrated (as I do, too).

It just baffles me how he could work so hard to get to the top, but then pretty much quit once he got there?

I agree, it really depends on what they do with the picks. I think most of the people are underrating the 4th round pick, as there will be a LOT of value in the middle rounds, imo. There should be a lot of players that can help us at 28, too. So as long as the Bills are able to fill needs with really good prospects (Ayers, Sintim, OL help, etc.), then I'm fine with it. Again, we'll have to see.

Thanks again for the quotes.

[GoonBoss]

Thanks for giving us the quotes. I was figuring that most people thought Peters was overrated (as I do, too).

It just baffles me how he could work so hard to get to the top, but then pretty much quit once he got there?

I agree, it really depends on what they do with the picks. I think most of the people are underrating the 4th round pick, as there will be a LOT of value in the middle rounds, imo. There should be a lot of players that can help us at 28, too. So as long as the Bills are able to fill needs with really good prospects (Ayers, Sintim, OL help, etc.), then I'm fine with it. Again, we'll have to see.

Thanks again for the quotes.

No problem.

I agree that there will be lots of value in the middle rounds this year. I also see the top end of the draft being potentially the worst in a while. I think the #11 is a pretty nice spot to be in.

The site I mod at (Under the same nick) is http://www.finheaven.com I hope I don't break the TOS with the plug, but, you are all welcome to stop by. At least one of your mods has an account there. We are the biggest Dolphins site on the net in terms of traffic, and, we have passionate Dolphins fans there that will be happy to give you thier perspective. We have a "Beasts of the East" forum to talk AFC East ball, as well as a "Depths" area for smack and banter.

[TigerJ]

I don't think Philly fans are any more objective about trades their team is involved with than the Bills. I have to discount the number of sacks Peters gave up last season because he was not in football shape when he started the season. Moreover he missed the five or six weeks of technique work he would have gotten in camp. He may be gifted athletically, but he's stilkl relatively new to the left tackle spot and I don't think that all the athleticism in the world is going to make up for sloppy technique on every play. I also discount the fact that Peters came into the league as an undrafted free agent. That is ancient history now and peters is an established player now, regarded by most pundits as one of the top two or three best left tackles in the game. The Bills cannot possibly replace Peters with a tackle this year who can play at the level of Peters when Peters is playing his best. Maybe by 2010 they can. If they choose to go that route, they can get a solid offensive tackleat #11. They may be able to get a startibng tackle at #28 Britten (right) or Beatty (left) but no one they might pick(Andre Smith, Oher, Britten or Beatty) will be as good in 2009 as Peters could be. So they give up some quality at left tackle for a pcik in the fourth round that will most likely be a depth player, and a wild card (late round conditional pick) next year. Buffalo will probably not be quite as good this year without Peters. Whether they are petter next year as a result of the trade is certainoy debateable, but we won't have any idea untill the better part of the 2009 season has run its course, and maybe not until most of the 2010 season has come and gone. It's pretty hard to argue that Buffalo got the better of the trade, but it's possible in a couple years Buffalo will be better for it, especially if Demetrius Bell develops like the Bills think he might.

[DynaPaul]

Personally I think we did alright on the trade. We got rid of a headache (even though he was a good player) and got some nice draft picks out of it. It just looked to me like he really didn't want to be here unless he was breaking the bank. Now my only concern is that we use these picks wisely.

[billogic99]

Peters gave up the most sacks last season as a LT and he missed 3 games. He also whiffed on the block that led to the sacking of JP in the Jets game........proven players do not make those types of mistakes

Maybe Peters felt that if he wasn't goiung to be paid as the best LT in the game he wouldn't play like the best tackle in the game. Now before you go saying "well if thats how he's gonna play, I don't want him on my team" than why don't you take that same stance when the Owner and FO refuse to pay the best players on the team setting a good foundation to draw interest from FA ready to hit the market? I think Peters slacked off intentionally ast year. That may not be what everyone wants to hear or believe, but It's not an unrealistic thought.

Bottom line, like it or not, the Bills organization cause more problems than they solve. LT, QB are two positions you always want solved. Buffalo needed Peters a hulluva lot mnore than they needed TO. With the 11th pick the Bills could have traded back picked up an extra pick and maybe a player and drafted another WO or TE and still had several picks to build off of. Now the Bills have no starting LT, if TO is gonna help this team at all this year they need Trent to reamin upright. Trent's fragile as it is, could you imagine him getting blind sided all year?

I think the Bills do everything bassackwards, just what the hell are they trying to accomplish? The last thing this team needs in a division where the Pats prey on your every weakness, is more weaknesses. I just don't understand the reasoning behind half of what the Bills do. Look at the Eagkes, they're always in the playoffs because they try to add players like Peters, not trade them away.

[Philagape]

Even if the picks turn out well, we're still talking 2-3 years of rebuilding. I think that's what's upsetting a lot of fans. With TO here for one year, a lot were hoping the Bills would try to make a run. Not now.
With Ralph nearing the end, it becomes more urgent every year to contend while the Bills are still in Buffalo. There is probably no future to build for.

[TigerJ]

Even if the picks turn out well, we're still talking 2-3 years of rebuilding. I think that's what's upsetting a lot of fans. With TO here for one year, a lot were hoping the Bills would try to make a run. Not now.
With Ralph nearing the end, it becomes more urgent every year to contend while the Bills are still in Buffalo. There is probably no future to build for.While I don't think there's any chance the Bills could be as good at left tackle in 2009 without Peters as they could be at left tackle with a highly motivated and in shape Jason Peters, I think it's quite possible that they will be a good bit better in 2010 at left tackle than they were in 2008 with a poorly motivated and out of shape Jason Peters.

[Jeff1220]

I figured I'd post these since they fit into the premise of the thread. Here are a few unbiased, non-Bills-fan comments I got on Facebook:


Yeah, i'm a little surprised Buffalo traded him, but with their 1st rd pick, they can probably get some good O-Line help. I'm curious to see what they do with the 28th pick from Philly... LB or WR/TE?


I think the Eagles gave up too much! Yes the Bills have a whole at left tackle but they couldn't turn that down. They might be able to get Andre Smith by moving up a bit (or Oher where they are. Man...what's Bolden worth then?!


Buffalo got the better end of the deal, that is for sure.

[thenry20]

I'm unbiased on the matter. The next LT we get has to match Peters career (i.e., PB for PB); otherwise we got taken. Yes, the man has to be his equal at least throughout his career.

[LifetimeBillsFan]

Once again, I think that Jan summed the situation up in much the same way that I would have.

Let me just add that I think that whether the Bills ended up getting the better or worse of the deal will depend greatly on just how good Demetrius Bell turns out to be.

Demetrius Bell? Yes, Demetrius Bell.

I think that the Bills drafted Bell last year knowing that the just might have a problem satisfying Peters. And, I think that the Bills took the approach that they did in their dealings with Peters because they have Bell and think that he has the ability to develop into a replacement for Peters.

There are a lot of parallels between Bell and Peters. Like Peters, Bell is supposed to be extremely athletically-gifted--maybe not in the same ways that Peters was freakishly gifted, but in other ways that also go into being a top LT talent. While Peters was raw coming out of college because he was constantly moved from one position to another in college, Bell was raw coming out of college because he didn't play football in HS and only played on the D-II level in college. Just as Peters impressed Mouse McNally when he began to work at LT after practices at the end of his rookie year and in the following offseason, according to Tom Modrak, the Bills coaches are very pleased with the progress that Bell made during the course of last season and he has been working hard in this offseason as well.

Does that mean that Bell is ready to step into the starting lineup on Opening Day and play up to the All Pro standards of Peters in 2007? No. Bell may not be ready to start at RT, let alone LT, yet. We don't know what kind of player he is going to be, only that Modrak indicated that Bell would be ready to "see the field" this season and that the Bills thought enough of his talent to keep him on the 53 man roster for all 16 games last season, even though they never activated him once.

If Bell does not develop into at least a decent starting LT, capable of playing better than Jason Peters did in 2008--he doesn't have to start at LT on Opening Day 2009 or even take over the job at LT this season necessarily--the Bills will have been the losers in this trade. Unless they are very lucky, it is unlikely that they will get one of the top 5 LTs in this draft at the # 11 pick (if they use that pick on a OT at all, which they will only do if they don't think that Bell can ultimately do the job for them) and any OT that they take at # 28 is unlikely to be ready to step in as a starter, even at RT (which they don't need), this season.

On the other hand, if Bell does develop to the point where he is able to take over the starting LT job this season and give the Bills above average play at the position for the next couple of years, the Bills will end up at least "breaking even", if not getting the better of this deal. While Peters has the ability to be one of the best LTs in the game when he is motivated, he has shown that he is also capable of playing sub-par football when he is not motivated. Will Peters still be motivated now that he has a big contract? Even if he is and he plays like the All Pro that he can be, what will happen in a couple of years when other LTs in the game are making more money than him again--will he be unhappy, hold out and play poorly again? Getting solid, above average, quality play year after year from Bell would be better for the Bills than having to deal with Peters' prima donna routine, even if Bell doesn't play like an All Pro. In that instance, getting the extra picks from Philly and being able to add an additional play-maker to the team would end up being a plus for the Bills.

On the other hand, if Bell continues to follow in Peters' footsteps and turns out to be a top-flight, elite quality LT (not necessarily this season) as well, the Bills could end up coming out of this deal way ahead. If the Bills feel that Bell is far enough along in his development that his should be able to take over the starting LT job at some point this season and can give them quality play this year and elite quality play in the future, they would not have to use one of their top picks on a OT. Instead, they could use the picks that they got from Philly in this draft to address other holes in their lineup that need to be upgraded or filled. They could wait until the late rounds to draft an OT or even decide not to address the position in this year's draft.

But, it really all depends on Bell and where he is at in his development as a player. He is supposed to have the athletic ability to do the job. But, we just do not know whether he going to be able to develop that ability to the point where he can be an above average or top flight or perhaps even All Pro player. Whether the Bills end up being winners or losers in this deal will ultimately depend on what kind of player Bell becomes.

While we will have to wait to see how well Bell is able to play this season, IMHO we will get a big tip off on how far the Bills think that he has come and what they believe he will be capable of contributing early on in the draft. If the Bills do not use one of their first round draft pick on an OT, I think that will mean that they feel that Bell can ultimately be Peters' replacement as their starting LT.

I would expect there to be a lot of screaming and criticism of the Bills if they do not use one of those first rounders on an OT. But, don't be surprised if the address other positions with those two picks.

If they think Bell is close to being ready, I would not be at all surprised to see the Bills use their first three picks to address their pass rush, the interior offensive line and their need at tight end or OLB.

It's a shame that Jason Peters forced the Bills into a position where they pretty much had to trade him. I hate the fact that they had to give up such a talented player. But, if I were in their shoes, I suppose that I would have done what they did. I would have like to have seen them get more for Peters than they got, but I also think that they probably got just about as much as they could have gotten for him. Still, it doesn't leave me with a very good taste in my mouth and I can't say that I'm particularly pleased with how things worked out at all. And, the only thing that will change that will be if the Bills are able to use the picks that they got to fill the holes that they have in their lineup with good players and Demetrius Bell develops into an All Pro player who stays with the Bills for another 10 years.

[kernowboy]

Great post LTBF but ....

I am not sure it equates completely to development of Demetrius Bell.

Whilst the Bills like Bell, I also think they can get by with Langston Walker for a season and then look at Russell Okung, Bryan Bulaga or Ciron Black in the 2010 draft.

Alternatively they might feel that #28 or #42 might be let them grab a player like Beatty, Britton, Meredith or Cadogan who they could have looked at closely and think would make an ideal LT from Day1.

Personally I'd rather they deal with the pass rush at #11 before looking to the OL

[LifetimeBillsFan]

You are forgetting, kernoboy, that this coaching staff has to win this season or they are not going to be around next year to reap the benefits of anyone that they may draft this year or next.

Very few LTs are able to start coming directly out of college--usually only the very top rated ones (McNeil is an exception, but not really because he was highly rated before sliding badly after a bad Senior Bowl and Combine). And, those that do start immediately often struggle quite a bit as rookies (this is less the case with interior offensive linemen).

While this is a pretty deep OT class, it is unlikely that the Bills will be able to find an OT with the # 11 pick or later who will be able to start at LT Day 1, including the players you have named (Britten may be able to start at RT, but will take time to move to the left side. Beatty is still raw and will take time to develop as well. Cadogan was an LT who was moved inside in college, may not be quick enough and would take time to move back to OT. etc.).

True that Walker played well at LT last season, but he really is a RT. With all of the changes on the offensive line, I would prefer to leave him there next to Butler for at least a modicum of stability. I actually thought that Chambers played surprisingly well at LT subbing for Peters. Rather than moving him to LG, I would prefer to keep him at OT. He could start the season there until Bell is ready to beat him out.

I wouldn't rule out taking Cadogan (who I like) in the 4th round if he is still there to develop as a swing guy who can challenge for a starting job at OG or at OT. He is the type of player that I think could contribute playing on the inside as a rookie.

Like you, I think they can get more immediate help from a pass rusher or LB at # 11 than they can from the offensive tackles that are likely to still be on the board there.

[kernowboy]

I think Cadogan never moved inside at Penn State. He played outside the entire time there having taking over from Levi Brown and inside him were Wisnieski and Ohrmberger?

I have a sneaky suspision that his intangibles and his performance at the Combine and at his ProDay will get him into the end of Day1.

[TacklingDummy]

No11: Everette Brown DE
No21-28: William Beatty LT (use Phillys No121 to move up if necessary)
No42: Jarron Gilbert LE/DT
No75: Marcus Freeman WLB/SLB
No110: Karl Urbik G
No147: Dan Gronkowski TE

Depending how everything falls...

11. Robert Ayers, DE, Tennessee, Andre Smith, OT, Alabama, or Malcolm Jenkins, CB/FS, Ohio State

28 . Robert Ayers, DE, Tennessee or Brian Cushing, OLB, or USC Alex Mack, OC, Cal

42. Max Unger, C/G, Oregon, Duke Robinson, G, Oklahoma, Michael Johnson, DE, Georgia Tech

75. Marcus Freeman, LB, Ohio State, or Tyrone McKenzie, OLB, South Florida or Javon Ringer, RB, Michigan State

110. Chase Coffman, TE, Missouri or Kraig Urbik, G, Wisconsin

147: James Davis, RB, Clemson or Antone Smith, RB, Florida State

153/157/159: Augustus Parrish, OT, Kent State

[yordad]

It boils down to; What bothers me more....Seeing the Bills with JP starting at OLT next year, or, the Bills with multiple first round picks? The answer is definitly the latter.Well you watched Joey Porter snack on our left side last year, so that is understandable.